In (the state denoted by) Cui, the king will repair to his ancestral temple. It will be advantageous (also) to meet with the great man; and then there will be progress and success, though the advantage must come through firm correctness. The use of great victims will conduce to good fortune; and in whatever direction movement is made, it will be advantageous.

Cui indicates (the condition of union, or) being collected. We have in it (the symbol of) docile obedience going on to (what is expressed by that of) satisfaction. There is the strong line in the central place, and rightly responded to. Hence comes the (idea of) union. ‘The king will repair to his ancestral temple:’ - with the utmost filial piety he presents his offerings (to the spirits of his ancestors). ‘It will be advantageous to meet the great man, and there will then be prosperity and success:’ - the union effected by him will be on and through what is correct. ‘The, use of great victims will conduce to good fortune; and in whatsoever direction movement is made, it will be advantageous:’ - all is done in accordance with the ordinances of Heaven. When we look at the way in which the gatherings (here shown) take place, the natural tendencies (in the outward action) of heaven and earth and of all things can be seen.

(The trigram representing the) earth and that for the waters of a marsh raised above it form Cui. The superior man, in accordance with this, has his weapons of war put in good repair, to be prepared against unforeseen contingencies.

The first ‘six’, divided, shows its subject with a sincere desire (for union), but unable to carry it out, so that disorder is brought into the sphere of his union. If he cry out (for help to his proper correlate), all at once (his tears) will give place to smiles. He need not mind (the temporary difficulty); as he goes forward, there will be no error.

象传: 乃乱乃萃, 其志乱也. Xiàng zhuàn: Nǎi luànnǎi cuì, qí zhì luàn yě.

‘In consequence disorder is brought into the sphere of his union:’ - his mind and aim are thrown into confusion.

The second ‘six’, divided, shows its subject led forward (by his correlate). There will be good fortune, and freedom from error. There is entire sincerity, and in that case (even the small offerings of) the vernal sacrifice are acceptable.

象传: 引吉无咎, 中未变也. Xiàng zhuàn: Yǐn jí wú jiù, zhōng wèi biàn yě.

‘He is led forward; there will be good fortune, and freedom from error:’ - (the virtue proper to) his central place has not undergone any change.

The third ‘six’, divided, shows its subject striving after union and seeming to sigh, yet nowhere finding any advantage. If he go forward, he will not err, though there may be some small cause for regret.

象传: 往无咎, 上巽也. Xiàng zhuàn: Wǎng wú jiù, shàng xùn yě.

‘If he go forward, he will not err:’ - in the subject of the topmost line there is humility and condescension.

The fifth ‘nine’, undivided, shows the union (of all) under its subject in the place of dignity. There will be no error. If any do not have confidence in him, let him see to it that (his virtue) be great, long-continued, and firmly correct, and all occasion for repentance will disappear.

象传: 萃有位, 志未光也. Xiàng zhuàn: Cuì yǒu wèi, zhì wèi guāng yě.

‘There is the union (of all) under him in the place of dignity:’ - (but) his mind and aim have not yet been brilliantly displayed.

The topmost ‘six’, divided, shows its subject sighing and weeping; but there will be no error.

象传: 赍咨涕洟, 未安上也. Xiàng zhuàn: Jī zī tì tì, wèi ān shàng yě.

‘He sighs and weeps:’ - he does not yet rest in his topmost position.

Superpower China

There is worldwide speculation on where the future will take China. For thousands of years China was by any measure the top nation on Earth, and so it seems natural that after 150 years of turmoil China will become the leading country again. In this page we speculate on what this might mean to China and the rest of the world. Read More

This translation of the YiJing classic text uses the original Chinese including the 象传Xiàng zhuàn commentary converted to modern simplified characters and pinyin.
The English translation is based on William Legge (1899) ➚ which is now out of copyright. We have changed some wording and converted to American spelling.
We hope to replace this with a more modern translation.In the first few paragraphs each gua is described.
The name of the gua (hexagram) is followed by the two trigrams that make it up (lake, mountain, fire, water, earth, heaven, thunder and wind). Each gua has a controlling element (earth, fire, water, metal and wood). After this information there are three related guas. The Opposite gua is the one where all yang is changed to yin and yin to yang - it is usually opposite in meaning. The Inverse gua is the gua with the order inverted so first is last and vice versa. The mutual gua is a more complex combination and re-ordering of the internal trigrams making up the gua. Then the association of the gua to the annual cycle is shown - this is the Chinese lunar month number (not Western month). The controlling or host yao is considered the most important line in the gua and is highlighted in the hexagram.The main description for the hexagram is then followed by a section for each of the six possible changing lines which indicate the transformation into another, related gua. The text uses ‘nine’ to refer to a yang line and ‘six’ for a yin line. The pure yin and yang hexagrams have, however, a different text structure as they are so important.